Taiwo Adelu

Home based Eagles on the way to Pretoria

Assistant coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Belgian Jean Losciuto has raised his concern about the physical condition of home-based Super Eagles who he and other members of the technical crew took to Pretoria, South Africa camp on Saturday.

Losciuto, who Chief Coach Sunday Oliseh brought in when he was employed as Eagles manager, said before Eagles Team B flew out to Pretoria for the final phase of Nigeria’s camping for Rwanda 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) Saturday afternoon
that the physical condition of the players was below competition standard, adding that this and some other aspects of training are what the coaches will focus on when they resume training in South Africa.

“The physical condition of the players is yet to yield maximum level and this is not satisfactorily.

“The altitude here in Abuja is not the same with the one we will experience in CHAN, that was the reason we picked Pretoria as our pre tournament camp site.

“As soon as we hit Pretoria, we will reach high altitude the same as in Rwanda. This will be good for the players and the training. I believe the problem of physical condition will be solved,” he said on a Lagos sports radio.

While in Pretoria, the home based Eagles will face two of the CHAN-bound teams, Angola on 6 January and then Cote d’Ivoire on 11 January in warm-up matches.

The CHAN will begin on 16 January in Kigali and Nigeria are drawn against Niger, Tunisia and Guinea in the group phase.

Nigeria will be making their second appearance at the Championship of African Nations (CHAN), which is for players featuring in their various homes leagues.

In 2014, the home-based Eagles finished third on their debut appearance of the CHAN in South Africa with Ejike Uzoenyi emerging as the tournament MVP.